Campylobacter in the Italian poultry meat chain: prevalence, risk assessment, and consumer's role in food handling - CAMPITALY (C. coli)

Thermotolerant Campylobacter species are a common cause of foodborne illness, with poultry meat recognized as a primary source of infection. Consumer exposure is associated with widespread presence of the pathogen and with cross-contamination between raw poultry and ready-to-eat products during preparation.This project aims at reducing the public health risk posed by Campylobacter, by improving consumer awareness in domestic handling of poultry products.As a first stage, the project focused on collection of quantitative data on Campylobacter diffusion along the food production chain. To this end, samples were collected from farm environments, slaughterhouse carcasses and retail poultry meat, across different regions of Italy. Subsequently, all isolates have undergone assessments for antimicrobial susceptibility, while a subset has been investigated through genomic characterization, in order to identify virulence-associated genes. Additionally, in response to the growing demand for sustainable control measures, the collected isolates were also used to assess the antimicrobial activity of natural compounds.The second phase of the project examined domestic food handling practices. Consumers participated in an experimental cooking activity. Poultry meat used in the cooking session was intentionally contaminated with a harmless surrogate microorganism. Participants were randomly assigned to "Treatment" and "Control" groups, which followed the same recipe. Food samples were collected after the cooking session, to assess cross-contamination events.After two weeks, the "Control" group repeated the cooking activity, while the "Treatment" group attended a food safety training session before the second cooking activity. Later, participants filled a questionnaire addressing their food handling behaviors and kitchen sanitation habits.Finally, the data obtained have been used to develop a quantitative model estimating consumer exposure to Campylobacter. The model's main goal is to allow comparison between the participant groups and evaluation of the effectiveness of short educational interventions in reducing the risk of cross-contamination in household settings.